Mending a Friendship
by MasterFirebender84
Summary: Even after Korra apologized to Bolin after their semi-final victory, she couldn't help but still feel awful about hurting Bolin's feelings so badly. Deciding to further her apology to Bolin, Korra heads to the Probending Arena.


Ugh, Episode 5...it killed me with the feels. T_T So I wrote up a friendship!Borra fic for my aching heart. :3 I had a lot of fun writing this, and I hope you'll enjoy reading it! Reviews are always appreciated! ^_^

**DISCLAIMER:** I do not own "Avatar: The Last Airbender". The show and its characters belong to Mike and Bryan, the brillant geniuses behind one of the greatest cartoon shows in the history of cartoons. Their work is legendary, and I salute them for it. I also do not own "The Legend of Korra" or any of the characters associated with it. I am merely a fanboy with a passionate love for this series.

**Mending a Friendship**

The crisp morning air and lazily falling snow softly caressed Korra's hair as she gracefully danced among the spinning gates, flawlessly flowing and floating through the gyrating panels as she constantly adjusted her movements, her Water Tribe parka rustling along with her movements. Within seconds, she was out the other side, alighting on the ground and deeply exhaling as she closed her eyes, holding her hands on her knees as sweat coated her brow.

"Excellent work, Korra," praised Tenzin as he walked around the spinning gates to join Korra. Stopping by his pupil's side as the gates slowed to a stop, he added, "You're becoming a better Airbender with each passing day."

"Thanks," panted Korra as she smiled up at her teacher, who warmly smiled back at her, loving praise clear on his face. Korra glanced back down at the ground as she stopped panting, standing fully upright and placing her hands on her hips as she let her mind wander. Despite her team winning the semi-finals last night, something was still bothering her, a sense of rising guilt gnawing at her heart.

Tenzin noticed the contemplative look on Korra's face, her silence disturbing him slightly. "Is something on your mind, Korra?" he concernedly asked her.

"Kind of," admitted Korra, folding her arms on top of each other across her chest, her eyes still downcast. Her eyes widened when she realized what was bothering her: Bolin. While her Earthbending friend didn't hold any hard feelings towards her because of what she had done to him, she knew it was still her fault that she hurt him in the first place. She truly enjoyed Bolin's company, and she didn't want to lose one of her only friends over stupid romance stuff.

When Korra didn't respond for a few moments, Tenzin became even more worried. "Do you want to talk about it?"

Korra shook her head. "It's really something I need to deal with on my own," she replied as she looked up at Tenzin, her arms still crossed. Seeing Tenzin's worried expression, she flashed a reassuring smile at the Airbender. "Don't worry about me, Tenzin. It's just something between me and my friends. I'll be fine."

"Korra, you know I worry about you," softly said Tenzin, a troubled expression plastered onto his visage. "If there's something bothering you, you should talk to me about it."

The Water Tribe teenager heavily sighed, knowing that the doting side of her father-like teacher was surfacing. "Fine," she begrudgingly relented. "Things between my friends and I started to get really complicated recently, and for a while it seemed like we weren't going to pull through. We managed to patch things up last night after our semi-final match, but I still like I owe one of my friends a bigger apology than the one I gave him."

Tenzin thoughtfully hummed as he stroked his beard, trying to decipher what Korra was saying. He had already met Korra's teammates, Mako and Bolin, at the Gala that Tarrlok threw for Korra, and from what he had seen, they were fine boys. Whether this trouble Korra spoke of was romantic tension with one or both of the brothers or just general teammate tension, he didn't know, but it was very clear that Korra wanted to go through with what she had in mind.

"Would it be alright with you if I took a break from Airbending practice to go apologize to my friend?" asked Korra, choosing to keep Bolin's name out of the conversation. While she knew she could trust Tenzin, the less he knew about the exact details of her recent drama with the two brothers, the better. Deciding to strengthen her plea, she clasped her hands together and gave Tenzin a slight pout that could have been interpreted as a begging pout. "Please?"

After a long silence, Tenzin deeply sighed, dropping his hand from his pointed beard and back into his robes. "Very well." Just as Korra's face brightened up with an overjoyed smile, he added, "Take however long you need. If you decide to spend some time with your friend, feel free to do so." He sported an amiable smile on his face as he said, "Just a little reward for doing such an outstanding job on moving through the gates today."

Korra heartily laughed as she flung herself at Tenzin, crashing against him and embracing him in a mighty hug as she joyfully exclaimed, "Thank you so much, Tenzin! You're the best!" Letting go of Tenzin, she ran off towards the house to grab Naga, the fallen snow crunching underneath her boots as she shouted over her shoulder, "I promise you won't regret this!"

Tenzin merely chuckled to himself as he watched Korra run, a sense of loving pride gripping at his heart.

Soon Korra reached the house, bursting inside as she ran towards her room, where she found Naga curled up on the floor. The Polar Bear-Dog perked up as her master entered the room, happily barking as she stood up on her paws. Korra broadly smiled as she ran up to her animal companion, scratching underneath Naga's chin as she asked, "You up for a little swim to the Arena, Naga?" Her furry friend's response was a sloppy yet affectionate lick to Korra's face, eliciting a chuckle from the teen as she kissed Naga on the snout and proudly exclaimed, "That a girl!"

Korra quickly got Naga's saddle on and led the Polar Bear-Dog outside, where she mounted her Animal Guide. From there, the two made their way down to the dock. Upon reaching the end of the long stone dock, Naga fearlessly jumped off of the end, landing with a heavy splash in the frigid water below.

Just as Naga began to paddle her way through the water, Korra decided to aid her animal companion in the swimming process. The Avatar raised her hands up, coiling the water behind her, before thrusting her arms backwards, propelling both her and Naga through the water with practiced ease.

Within a few minutes, the two of them neared the wooden dock surrounded the Probending Arena. Thrusting her hands upward, Korra shot both her and Naga up and out of the water on a diagonal column of water, carefully enough for Naga to land on all fours on the deck but fluidly enough to keep their momentum going. The water Korra had summoned fell away as Naga alighted on the wooden dock, completely drenching the immediate surrounding Korra and her furry companion.

Korra quickly bent the water out of Naga's fur with fluid motions of her hands, combining the liquid with the puddle surrounding them and sending the resulting stream back into the bay. Taking hold of the reins as she looked around at her surroundings, Korra found the dock to be completely abandoned. "Guess it's just us out here, girl," Korra said to Naga, who let off a low moan as her master directed her towards the right side of the Arena.

Noticing something off to her right, Korra glanced over to see a wooden pier jut out slightly from the dock into the bay. At the end of the of the pier was a small, golden colored sightseeing veranda that provided an overview of the bay, the same veranda she had been standing at just after her team's quarter-final match against the Boarcupines.

The same veranda she had been standing at when Mako confessed his feelings for her.

The same veranda where she kissed Mako for the first time.

The memory of that moment came roaring back into Korra's mind, her cheeks burning a copper crimson as she quickly looked away from the veranda as Naga rounded the corner of the Arena. As much as she had enjoyed her first kiss with a boy, it still seemed bittersweet in retrospect: Mako was still with Asami, and she had practically broken Bolin's heart when he witnessed their kiss.

Korra solemnly cast her eyes downward, staring her hands as she remembered Bolin's broken sobbing that night, how utterly destroyed the Earthbender had been…and it only made her feel even more guilty about her actions that night.

When Korra looked up again, she found that Naga had stopped close-by the stairs of the Arena's entrance. Dismounting from her steed, Korra appreciatively patted Naga on the head, kissing her beloved companion on the snout as she teasingly said, "Now don't go running off, alright?" Naga's only response was a friendly whine as she lifted her muzzle, licking Korra's face once more and making the teen laugh. Naga plopped down where she was, resting her head on her paws and closing her eyes as she did so.

Flashing one last smile at Naga, Korra climbed up the stairs to the front doors of the Arena's, mentally preparing herself to face Bolin and further her apology to him. Just as she grasped the door handle and pushed her way inside…she ran straight into none other than Mako himself.

"Oof!" grunted both teens as they collided into each other. Once both of them realized who they had just run into, they quickly backed off from each other, awkward blushes tainting their faces. Giving Mako a quick glace-over, Korra saw that he was dressed in his usual street clothes, his scarf in its usual place around his neck.

"Uh…hi, Korra," slowly greeted Mako as Korra grasped her right arm with her left hand, timidly glancing away from Mako as she nervously rubbed her arm.

"Hey," uneasily quipped Korra as she glanced up at Mako, her blush intensifying as her gaze fell upon his amber irises. Regarding his clothes once more with her eyes, she asked, "Going out for another date with Asami?"

"Yeah," replied Mako, sheepishly rubbing the back of his head as he looked off to his right, as if he wanted to avoid eye contact with her. Korra likewise glanced off to her right, slightly shuffling her feet in place as a tense silence passed over the two of them. After about a minute of this, Mako heavily sighed as he dropped his hand back to his side. "I should get going," he decidedly said as he brushed past Korra.

"You're going have to tell her eventually, Mako," haltingly said Korra without turning around, hearing Mako's footsteps stop dead in their tracks when she stopped speaking. "It's only a matter of time before she finds out about what we did." She was clearly insinuating about the kiss they had shared, and she knew he had caught her intended meaning. Mako was silent for a long time, unnerving Korra to her core, making her wonder if she overstepped her boundaries.

Finally, Mako let out a troubled sigh. "I know…but I don't want to hurt her," was his quiet response before stepping out the door, closing it behind him and leaving Korra alone in the vast main lobby.

"It's too late for that," Korra whispered to herself, closing her eyes as she tightly gripped her arm, trying to calm herself to no avail. She hated herself for betraying Asami's trust, for betraying their friendship without the heiress even realizing it. Whenever Asami did find out about the kiss, Korra knew that it wasn't going to be a good day for both her and Mako.

Shaking off her uneasiness, Korra made her way through the Arena towards the gym, where she figured Bolin would be at getting some early morning training done. Sure enough, as she neared the gym, she heard the sounds of grunts accompanied by the low thrumming whistle of flying clay disks, followed by soft thumps as the disks hit the training net and fell to the floor.

Peeking around the corner into the gym, Korra saw Bolin, dressed in only his pants and white undershirt, standing opposite the training net, piles of clay disks on either side of him, the Earthbender in his usual foot-loose fighting stance, fists raised and a determined look on his face. Pabu was curled up on the floor next to Bolin's feet, not seeming to notice the Earthbender standing right next to him.

"Oh you think you're so bad, Tahno?" taunted Bolin, directing his voice towards the net. "Well get a load of _this_!"Throwing a left-right hook combo as he cried out, Bolin launched two clay disks at the net with blinding speed. The disks heavily impacted the net, falling uselessly to the floor as Bolin punched his fists upward in victory. "It's a knockout! The crowd goes wild! Bolin has just won the Championship Tournament for the Fire Ferrets!" He waved to his invisible adoring fans as he humbly said, "Thank you, thank you, you're all too kind. Really, folks, you're just too much!"

Korra chuckled to herself as she watched Bolin play out his Probending fantasy, a smile utterly conquering her lips. Bolin certainly was a unique individual, so full of life and optimism and cheerfulness that never failed to make her smile. She really did care about Bolin, and she wanted to make sure she kept one of her few friends in Republic City.

She walked into the gym as Bolin began to say, "But really, folks, I couldn't have gotten this far without my big bro and my good friend-" As Bolin was talking, he turned towards the open entrance to the gym, his words faltering in his mouth and his eyes going wide when he saw Korra walking towards him, his arms still raised to address his invisible fans. Bolin quickly folded his arms behind his back, his whole face flushing with embarrassment. "Uh…how long have you been watching me?"

"Long enough," mischievously chuckled Korra, stopping next to Bolin and stooping down to pick up Pabu in her arms, the Fire Ferret stirring as Korra stood back up. Quickly wiggling out of Korra's arms, Pabu jumped onto Bolin and situated himself on the Earthbender's shoulders, looking back at Korra as he purred. "How's your shoulder?" asked Korra, looking back at Bolin.

"Still working like a charm!" proclaimed Bolin, spinning his right arm around in a pinwheel motion to demonstrate his shoulder's condition. After a few seconds, Bolin stopped spinning his arm. "Thanks again for fixing me up after our last match. That Buzzard-Wasp Earthbender messed up my shoulder pretty bad."

"You're welcome," smiled Korra, folding her arms behind her back. Her smile fell, though, when she remembered how badly she had hurt Bolin, and her eyes fell along with her smile. She held her head down in shame, guilt eating away at every part of her.

Bolin noticed Korra's sudden change in demeanor, a perplexed frown sprouting on his face. "Are you okay?" he concernedly asked her, Pabu tilting his head in confusion as Bolin spoke.

"Not really…" glumly admitted Korra, her sullen gaze still locked on the floor below her. Desolately sighing, Korra looked up at Bolin, her expression reluctant and hesitant. "I'm sorry," she managed to say through her tumultuous emotions.

"For what?" inquired Bolin, his right eyebrow raised in confusion. "You just got here, Korra. You haven't done anything you need to apologize for."

"I _do_ need to apologize for something, Bolin," protested Korra, her tone insistent. She hung her head down again, glancing down at the floor from the corner of her eye. Building up her courage and fortifying her resolve, she looked back up at Bolin. "I'm sorry for hurting your feelings."

"Korra, you already apologized to me for that," said Bolin, putting his hands on his hips, sweat trickling down his face.

"I know," replied Korra, "but I still feel terrible for hurting you so much." She looked away from Bolin again, regret flooding her heart and soul to the brim. "You were nothing but the nicest guy to me, and I was nothing but a big-headed jerk to you."

Bolin was shocked to hear such words coming out of his friend's mouth. "Korra-"

"I don't even know why you forgave me," murmured Korra, feeling pressure begin to build behind her eyes. She bit back the tears before they had the chance to surface, scrunching her eyes closed and holding her forearms in a further attempt to keep from crying in front of Bolin. "I don't even know why you still think of me as your friend or why you even still put up with me after what I did to you."

Bolin knew Korra was having a hard time controlling her emotions, which did nothing but fuel the negativity inside of her. "Korra, please calm down-"

"How am I supposed to calm down when I feel like this?" exclaimed Korra, snapping her eyes open as she looked back up at Bolin. "I'm an awful person, Bolin, and-"

"Stop," firmly said Bolin, placing both of his hands on Korra's shaking shoulders, her tears just beginning to leak into her eyes. "Look at me, Korra."

"But Bolin-" she began to protest.

"_Look at me_," ordered Bolin, all traces of his usual cheerfulness and optimistic charm gone, replaced by a resolute fortitude that he sported in the Probending ring. Korra's eyes widened slightly, not expecting Bolin to take charge of the situation. Once Korra had somewhat calmed down, Bolin's expression softened. "Korra, I forgave you because you're my friend. I still think of you as my friend because I care about you and I love hanging out with you. I still put up with you because I don't want to let you go."

"Even after everything I did to you," sniffled Korra as Pabu jumped down onto the floor, "you still think I'm your friend?"

"Yes," nodded Bolin. "Korra, you may be the Avatar, but you're just as human as Mako and I. You're going to make mistakes, no matter how hard you try to avoid them." Giving Korra a reassuring smile, he added, "Besides, I was mostly upset with Mako. He knew how I felt about you, so it really hurt me when I saw him kissing you." Korra glanced away from Bolin, her cheeks flushing with embarrassment at the mention of the kiss. Bolin noticed the shift in Korra's eyes, knowing full well that she was still blaming herself for what had happened. "Korra, please don't think that I hate you, because I don't. I could never hate you for anything."

Bolin's sincerity and truthfulness was simply too much for Korra to handle, and her tears slid down her face as she painfully closed her eyes. She threw her arms around Bolin's shoulders, a ragged sob bursting out of her mouth as she buried her face in Bolin's shoulder. She felt him hug her back, wrapping his arms around her waist. "I-I'm so sorry, Bolin," chokingly apologized Korra as more tears trailed down her face, soaking Bolin's shoulder. "I-"

"Shh," calmingly soothed Bolin, lightly rubbing her back with one hand. "Just let it all out, Korra. I'm here for you." Korra obliged with Bolin's gentle request, quietly letting her tears flow free as she tried to keep from crying anymore. Pabu curiously looked up at the two humans, inquisitively purring as he cocked his little head.

After a few minutes, Korra's shaking body finally stilled, her tears finally ceasing. She and Bolin came out of their hug, the Earthbender amiably smiling at the Avatar as she wiped away the tear streaks on her face. Once the last droplet of salty tears was gone, Korra warmly smiled at Bolin. Taking in shaky breath, she gratefully whispered, "Thank you, Bolin. I really am glad you still see me as a friend."

"Anytime, Korra," truthfully replied Bolin, genuinely smiling at Korra. Placing a supportive hand on Korra's shoulder, he added, "Now no more tears, alright?"

"Alright," agreeably nodded Korra. Embarrassedly rubbing the back of her head, she added, "I guess I just let my emotions get a little out of control."

"It happens sometimes," shrugged Bolin. "That's nothing to be ashamed of." A contemplative smirk came across Bolin's face, as if he was planning something in his head. "You know what'll make you feel better right now?"

"What?" asked Korra, not sure what Bolin was talking about.

"Some of Narook's famous Water Tribe cuisine!" cheerily exclaimed Bolin. Leaving Korra's side as he ran to the stairs up to the attic, he shouted over his shoulder, "Just wait there! I'll get cleaned up, and then we can head over to Narook's and gorge ourselves on some delicious Kelpweed noodles!"

"This isn't another date, is it?" teasingly asked Korra.

"Nope!" shouted Bolin as he reached the stairs, heading up the flight of stairs. Even when he was out of sight, Bolin continued to converse with Korra. "Just a chance to hang out with one of my best buds!"

Korra chuckled to herself as she shook her head, wondering to herself how she was ever so lucky to have a good friend like Bolin in her life. Just as she had said the night before, Bolin was truly one-of-a-kind, and she was glad to have met such a unique young man…and to have him as her friend.


End file.
